Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek today said that he could never support marijuana legalization because marijuana causes violent behavior. And no, we wasn't joking.

Now we'll give you time to catch your breath from laughing so hard.

"When I look at my jail and I see 40,000 people a year booked into the front doors, 54 percent of the ones booked for violent offenses are under the influence of marijuana when they commit those violent offenses -- you know, I've got to take a step back and say, wait a minute," Stanek told Minnesota Public Radio. "There is a direct correlation."

Except that there isn't. Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States (because most people believe it shouldn't be illegal).

Not only that, buthis stats are based on a 2011 federal study conducted in part in his prison. Basically a sample of inmates is given a pee test within 48 hours of being arrested and they recorded whether it came up positive or negative. They didn't take down levels of active THC and there is absolutely no proof whatsoever that the person was even using marijuana at the time of their alleged crime.

"When you show me that in a jail that books 40,000 people a year for a variety of offenses, whether drunk driving, domestic assault, rape, robbery, murder, and I don't have 54 percent of them under the influence of marijuana, maybe I'll say something different," he said, failing to note that the study he quotes DIDN'T TEST THE INMATES FOR ALCOHOL.

We have little doubt that booze was the major contributing factor to a significant number of violent crimes. It doesn't take much common sense to know that alcohol and violence go hand-in-hand.

But, apparently, Stanek doesn't have any common sense.

Stanek's idiotic comments come on the heels of an op-ed column he wrote for the Star Tribune that criticized the justice department's recent public decision to allow states that have legalized cannabis to move forward with implementation of legal sales.

"Marijuana is illegal under federal law and should remain that way," he wrote. "We have seen decades of declining crime rates in Hennepin County and across the country. Law enforcement agencies and our community partners have worked hard to achieve these gains."

What gains? People sill (and will continue) to use cannabis in Minnesota.

The only reason cannabis users are criminals is because people like Stanek insist on it, and their reasons are based on lies and twisted research.

Um, YEP! Try going into any town, anywhere in America and start selling pot. It won't be long until violence will rain down on you by the people who live there because you are invading their selling turf. Yep, pot causes violence and 30 years of law enforcement experience proves it.

What he fails to understand like most do, Is Alcohol Is prolly thee worst thing in the U.S. is causes more deaths a day then Pot could ever do a 10-15 years, Hands down, Pot is not the Enemy The U.S. Government is, It's time we make a stand, Or we will just be push around this 1 sided country, Makes me sick to know i live in a country like this.

Just another law enforcement ASSHOLE who still wants to
promote the BAD MYTHS about marijuana, instead of fessing
up to the REAL TRUTHS about it.
P.S. - Bet 2-to-1 he just loves his alcohol consumption.....

hey people.. thats a pig talk rite here... of course, its nothin but bullshyte..and look at his head...pfff HAHA!!!..somebody should make a post with the most ugliest cops face out there... oh man,i'll be laughin so hard by watching them.. XP!!

@okdlm when referring to simply smoking Marijuana for enjoyment drawing from a lifetime of observations all over the world I have never seen anyone get into a fight or commit violence. I'm not talking about combining a bunch of drugs and alcohol because when a person mixes a cocktail of substances along with that persons chemistry who knows what will happen. On the other hand I have attended parties and events where alcohol is being served and it's not unusual to see someone confronting and getting into an argument and or fight, because alcohol influences a persons violent tendencies.

@Ian White That's because you have never seen it from a cops eyes nor walked in his/her shoes. Try it sometime, if you find that you are not stoned, and it will be an eye opening experience. Problem is, are you ever "not stoned"?

@Dalton Branham See my comments above, it is obvious smoking pot severely affects the grammar skills of the user. Either that or said user was too stupid from pot to even be able to finish kindergarten. You just can't unlearn stupid!

@mschroe477@okdlm Being in law enforcement as I said, I have seen violence associated with marijuana in casual use however you are correct that it is worse when mixed with other drugs or even alcohol ironically with both pot and alcohol being depressants. The problem I have off the top is that pot is illegal in 47 of the 50 states currently and that makes users criminals. No, they are not murderers, rapists, robbers etc but breaking the law is breaking the law. The next problem I already addressed in that even in Colorado and Washington state, those who have been selling pot illegally for years are not going to volunteer their social security number and start paying taxes on what they sell. They also will continue to thrive because not dealing with the taxes, they can sell it cheaper than the legal stores and they are not going to stop selling when there is the demand. We already know 4 individuals have been charged in Colorado for dealing with cartels in procuring some of their product and laundering money for said cartels so there is a tremendous amount of violence associated with marijuana. Not necessarily by users per se but with the trade and consumption big picture the violence is there. Just today I read a story of a NC man who was a courier and got burned fronting $200,000 of marijuana and not getting paid then being kidnapped by 3 cartel members. Fortunately for him, he was rescued by the FBI but that rarely, very rarely, ever happens. We have even had 3 major grow operations in our state in the last year that were proven to be cartel funded and operated and you can bet you would experience violence if you somehow got in the middle of that if nothing else by booby traps or persons securing the grow site. I guess will have to agree to disagree from our different perspectives but my experience and training shows there is violence associated with marijuana.